Dust receiving tank



July 25, 1950 R EIFLER 2,516,509

DUST RECEIVING TANK 1 Filed Aug. 25, 1947 2 Sh eetS-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RAYMOND EIFLER BY 1 M 1 ATTORNEY July RTEIELER I nus: REdEIVING 1ANK Filed Aug. 25, 1947 112' sheets-sheet? IN V EN TOR. RAYMOND EIFLER BY W} M ATTORNEY Patented July 25, 1950 DUST RECEIVING TANK Raymond Eifler, Flushing, N. Y. Application August 25, 1947, Serial No. 770,370

1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to systems for vacuum cleaning dust and soot from heating equipment, such as chimneys, furnaces, pipes and the like; and it is concerned particularly with ametal tank designed to receive the vacuumed dust.

In cleaning heating equipment the customary procedure currently in use is to run a suction hose from the equipment to be cleaned to a motor driven vacuum cleaner fan. The latter is in turn attached by a hose to a dust receiving bag. The dust is drawn from the heating equipment by the cleaner fan and is blown from the cleaner fan through a hose into the receiving bag. This receiving or dust bag is of fabric. When in operation the bag is distended to its full dimensions by the force of the air blown from the cleaner, and because of its enormous size is usually placed in the roadway. This bag is cumbersome, is some fifteen feet long and about six feet in diameter when fully blown.

The general purpose of my invention is to provide an improved dust receiving unit. More particularly it is an object of this invention to provide a metal tank containing removable dust filters to replace the conventional fabric bag described above.

The advantage of this tank is that it eliminates difliculties associated with the conventional huge fabric bag. It is of metal, can easily be cleaned, handled, and transported.

Other objects and advantages of this invention become apparent as this specification unfolds in detail, and by reading it in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig.. 1 is a side view of my invention fully assembled with a cutout view of a portion of the interior.

Fig. 2 represents a shoulder.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view-of a cross section of the tank taken just before the first pair of shoulders near the front head of the tank.

Figs. 4, and 6 comprise the filter unit.

Fig. 4 is a view of the filter frame.

Fig. 5 represents filter material.

Fig. 6 represents the flanged filter base.

Fig. 7 is a cross section of the filter unit assembled to the shoulder.

Fig. 8 is a. perspective view of the cleanout unit with its cover.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the dust entrance unit atop the tank.

Fig. 10 is a flat view of the doors in closed position.

Fig. 11 is a view of the inner side of one of the doors directing attention to the rubber edging.

Describing this invention in detail, metal tank I is cylindrical and about twelve feet long and fourfeet in diameter. Toward the'front head 2 is a dust entrance unit 3. At the rear head 4. are semi-circular doors 5 and 5a. At spaced intervals within the tank are fixed shoulders (i. Removably attached to these shoulders are filter units comprehensively designated 1. Near the front head 2 on the bottom of the tank is a clean out unit 8, with its covering plate 9. Onthe exterior of the tank are flanges I0.

From the ends of the vacuum cleaner fan (which fan is not shown here, as it is not a part of this invention nor necessary to its understanding), dust is blown through hose H and passes through the dust entrance unit 3 into !6, to opposite sides of the inner wall ll of the" tank are shoulders 6. These shoulders serve as supporting frames to hold filter units 1. Two shoulders 6 riveted one opposite the other to the inner wall 11 of the tank comprise a single frame In this tank as shown in the drawings there are three of such shoulder frames. At the top and bottom of the vertical diameter of the tank are spaces I8 separating the opposed shoulders of each frame. Spaces I8 serve to permit filter units 1, which, because their diameter is only slightlyless than the diameter of the interior wall I! of the tank, cannot pass over the shouldersgto be rolled between the shoulders through spaces ill for assembly in the interior of the tank. Each shoulder is curved to conform to the circumference of the inner wall I! of the tank, and each shoulder covers a little less than half of this circumference to allow for spaces 18. Shoulders B are L-shaped with one flange [9 serving as a means for attaching the shoulder to the inner wall of the tank. Holes 20 serve to receive rivets l6. Flange 2| acts as a support for filter units 1. In flange 2| of each shoulder are holes 22 for the reception of bolts 23, on to which bolts filter units I removably attach.

The filter units 1 that assemble on to flanges 2| of the shoulders consist of a circular frame 24, a circular flanged base 25 and filter material 26. The filter unit is assembled together much in the same manner as a housewife assembles a doily: the filter material 26 is laid over fiange 21, then circular frame 24 is pressed down over the filter material and about flange 21'. When fully assembled holes 22 are in alignment.

The filter units 1 are assembled in the tank on to flanges 2| of the shoulders 6, and are held secure to the shoulders 6 by means of bolts 23 and wing nuts 28.

Filter units that are to be assembled within the interior of the tank are rolled through spaces 18.

The purpose of the filter units is essentially to retain vacuumed dust and soot in the tank and to permit the escape of air. Positioned in the tank at spaced intervals are three of these filter units each doing some of the filtering work. The mesh of the filter material 26 of the first filter unit 29 is larger than that of the other two, and is a size mesh that retains the larger particles of dust and soot and permits passage of the smaller particles. The second filter unit 30 has filter material 2B of a mesh size that retains particles smaller than the first and permits passage of the finerparticles of dust. The last filter unit 3| has filter material 26 f a very fine mesh which retains-the dust not stopped by the two previous filters andpe'rmit'sthe passage of only air. The filter material used for each of the units is preferably of strong fabric.

When the cleaning system is in operation air should be able to pass through all of the filter units of the tank. It is also advisable when using this' invention to leave the doors and 5a open toall'ow the escape of air. Were the air not capable of passing through the filter units and escaping from the tank, a back pressure of air would be created which would impede the suctioning power of the vacuum cleaner.

The front head 2 of the tank is closed or dead. The rear heads is hinged, and is shown here as comprising semi-circular doors 5 and 5a attached to the tank by hinges 32. The doors are'edged with rubber strips 53 held in place by screws 34. The rubber edging 33 prevents any possible entrance of water. into the tank while the tank is being transported, as soot dust when wet turns acid and tends to corrode the metal of the tank. One of the doors 5a has a strip 35 that overlaps the other door 5 when the doors are in a closed position.

A latch 36 cooperating with a hook 31 is provided for keeping the doors closed. Each door has ahandle 38.

Toward the front head- 2 on the bottom of the tank-is. a'clean-out unit 8 which opens into the tank, and through which accumulated dust may be'conveniently swept out of the tank.

Unit 8- has a-fiange .39. Plate 9 serves as a cover for the unit and is secured in place by bolts and nuts 4 I- through holes 42.

Bil

Flanges [0 are provided on both sides of the exterior of the tank to serve as means if desired for securing the tank to the chassis of a motor vehicle.

Minor variations, not departing from the scope of the invention as claimed, and obvious to those skilled in the art, may be made.

I claim:

In a suction cleaning apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical dust receiving tank disposed with its cylindrical body in horizontal position, such tank having one end open and the other end closed, a pair of doors hinged at the open end of the tank, means on such doors for latching them in closed position, rubber edging about such doors permitting such doors to be closed watertight, a plurality of pairs of shoulders secured to the interior wall of the tank at spaced intervals, circular dust filter units adapted to be removably secured to such shoulders, spaces separating each of such pair of shoulders, suchspaces serving to allow the circular filter unitsto pass between the shoulders to the interior of the tank, said dust filter units comprisingan annular flanged portion, fabric filtering material for covering such flanged portion, a ring section adapted to press over the flange of the annular flanged portion so as to secure the filtering ma-' terial on the flange, a dust inlet opening into the" interior of the tank at the closed end of the tank;

means'on such dust inlet for securin thereto the dust outletf hose of a vacuum cleaner, an opening in the lower portion of such horizontally disposed tank-for cleaning accumulations of dust from the tank, removable means for covering such clean-out opening.

RAYMOND EIFLER.

REFERENCES CE'TEE) The iollowingreferences are of record in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

